Actor leads Earth Day discussion

USC Program Board hosted actor and environmental activist Ian Somerhalder Tuesday night in Bovard Auditorium. Somerhalder spoke on his foundation, the environment and what youths can do to empower and educate each other to create change.

In Hollywood, Somerhalder is best known for prominent roles on the television shows The Vampire Diaries and Lost. He can also be seen on Years of Living Dangerously, Showtime’s new docu-series centering on global climate change that premiered on April 13.

Hosted in conjunction with the Speakers Committe, the International Student Assembly and the Environmental Student Assembly, the event was moderated by Alex Ago, the director of programming and special projects at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

ESA Director Shawn Rhoads said that they chose Somerhalder as the Earth Day speaker because they knew he had the capability to reach a larger demographic.

“We want people to know that an environmental community exists on campus,” Rhoads said. “There’s a need for action, and that’s what ESA wants to do — along with creating awareness for positive impact — through Earth month, and we thought that Ian would be a good fit as keynote speaker for our message.”

He stressed that as a celebrity, he is in a fortunate position of having an amplified voice to enact change.

“The ultimate goal is to do the absolute best I can to empower all those around me to start living this holistic framework of life that will last way beyond me,” Somerhalder said.

Somerhalder spoke heavily about the mission of his foundation, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which aims to educate a collective audience on the importance of preserving the environment and the world’s animals.

Throughout the evening, Somerhalder stressed the need for youth empowerment, and also discussed how today’s generation can enact real differences in the world.

“[You should use] social media to create quantifiable change,” he said. “If you can empower them with education, now they’re activated and they become a doer. This generation knows that, and what people and corporations aren’t realizing is that the most underutilized weapon in the worth is youth — and they’re going to change the world.”

Somerhalder said that the environment is very delicate, and relies heavily on the “symbiosis” between man and animal.

“The foundation’s focuses all go hand in hand, and the intricate nature of our environment revolves around symbiosis of the creatures of the world and humans,” Somerhalder said. “It can lead to food shortages, along coastlines that go into cities, and we can’t function without them — which is why we need species and environmental conservation.”

He also spoke about the ISF college division, which encourages the collaboration between environmentally conscious students on campus.

“You will find like-minded people around you, and it gives you all the tools to execute things, and empower you to do so much more,” Somerhalder said.

He also noted that he models his lifestyle after the mission of his foundation, and that people should aim to eliminate wasteful habits such as leaving the television on during the day when no one is home.

“I try and live my life the same way we want to power people at ISF, Somerhalder said. “The dog does not need to watch TV when you’re gone all day — it will lick itself all day,” he said. “Making a pledge to do stuff is great, doing them is better. We have to be better consumers and voters — this shift will shape the world.”

After the event, students said that they were intrigued with Somerhalder’s message and his ability as a celebrity to reach a wider audience.

Natalie Milian, a sophomore majoring in communication, believed that Somerhalder was a boost to the Environmental Student Assembly and its cause.

“[Somerhalder’s] popularity gives him this powerful mode of speech and increases the amount of people that he can deliver his message to,” Milian said. “And while people may be there just to gaze at him, they will still surely come out of the event with gaining at least some information [and] knowledge about his cause.”

Sucharita Yellapragada, a freshman majoring in policy, planning and development, believed that Somerhalder’s talk had been a reminder of the dire situation that our world is in.

“Ian being here [is a] statement about how big of an impact the environment has on our daily life — that celebrities take the time to create charities and work tirelessly to strive towards a change,” Yellapragada said. “It gathers students together for a common cause and it really helps that someone as prominent as Ian Somerhalder came to talk to us about it.”

Editor’s note: This post has been updated.